KARACHI: Pakistan and China yesterday signed a trade agreement assuring each other the ‘most-favoured-nation’ treatment in trade and commerce, including shipping. The agreement, the first ever between the two neighbouring countries, was signed on behalf of Pakistan by the Commerce Minister, Mr Wahiduzzaman, and by Mr Lin Hai-yun, Vice-Minister for Foreign Trade and leader of the seven-man Chinese Trade Mission, on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.

It provides for the conclusion of arrangements between Pakistan and China to facilitate the expansion of trade between them. A Press communiqué, issued in Karachi after the signing of the agreement, said that exchange of commodities not mentioned in the list may also take place.

Under the agreement, China will export to Pakistan metals and steel products, coal, cement, machinery, chemicals, raw materials and cereals.

The goods to be exported from Pakistan include jute, cotton, jute manufactures, leather, cotton textiles, sports goods, surgical instruments, chrome ore and newsprint.

The agreement was signed yesterday morning in the State Bank building. Members of the visiting Chinese Trade Mission and officials of the Pakistan Ministry of Commerce were present.

There were hurried, last-minute consultations between the Commerce Minister, Mr Wahiduzzaman, and his officials on the one hand, and between Mr Lin Hai-yun and his colleagues in the trade team on the other. —Staff Correspondent

All set for radio drama festival

KARACHI: The annual drama festival of Radio Pakistan, Karachi, popularly known as Jashn-e-Tamsil, commences from today. Fifteen plays shall be broadcast from any Station of Radio Pakistan.

Seven of the plays have been selected from world classics: Shakuntala by Kalidas; Shakespeare’s Macbeth; Euripides’ Helen; Pirandelles’ The Life I Gave You; Henrik Ibsen’s’ John Gabriel Borkman; Eugene O’Neill’s’ Beyond the Horizon; and Agha Hashr’s Said-e-Hawas. The other seven are original plays.

The last play of the festival shall be a stage play which will be broadcast simultaneously from the stage.

Apart from this a symposium and a series of six talks on the ‘progressive development of Urdu drama’ shall be broadcast from Jan 6 to 22.

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